Page 159 of Play of Love
"You know what?"
She turned back to me. "Gage, you know how I feel about that."
I clasped my hands together and stared at her. She'd made her thoughts very clear on how she felt about the tumor in her brain. The tumor she took tablets for, to stop it from getting any bigger. To stop it from spreading and eventually taking her life. Taking her life from her, taking her life from me. I dared not think too much about it. I dared not, or it would destroy me.
She covered my hands with hers and held onto me. "I can't tell her. I've wanted to, but I can't. Not yet. She won't understand."
"Or, maybe she will." I offered thinking about the way Evie described her love for music.
Grams was told she had a ten percent chance of having the tumor removed successfully without repercussions. The repercussions being she'd lose function of a sufficient part of her brain, mostly the part that allowed her to play the violin, remember her music and compose. Everything that governed her creativity would be damaged.Removed. She'd also need care for the rest of her life.
She said she didn't want to live like that.
The doctors told her if she were lucky she'd have another ten years if she did nothing and let it take her. However, she could have a greater life expectancy if she had the surgery. Her response at the time was, "I'm eighty-eight. Ten more years sounds great to me."
She flat out refused the surgery. I could imagine Evie doing the same if she were faced with such a decision. Just listening to her last night made me think that. It was mesmerizing to hear how her brain worked. It reminded me of one of those TV shows that featured amazing creative people. I'd never heard anyone describe anything the way she had.
"I'll tell her when the time is right." Grams assured me. "Can we please just cross this bridge first? I just want to find Angelo. That is all I want right now." Her voice withered.
"Okay." I gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "I'll go get Evie. Let's be ready to leave in an hour."
"I appreciate you Gage." I saw the wealth of her appreciation in her light blue eyes that were heavy with worry. "I really do."
I knew she did. I leaned over and kissed her forehead before I got up to go.
As the doors leading to the balcony were opened, I went that way to Evie's room hoping she'd be outside. She wasn't, but her door was slightly ajar. I knocked before I went inside and just as I was about to turn the corner to the bed an earth shattering scream pierced my ears.
"Evie." I cried rushing in.
I stopped sharply and felt my mouth drop as I beheld Evie standing on the chest of drawers wearing nothing but what she could pull around her from the short curtains at the window. I was too enthralled by the sight to do anything else but stare. She reminded me of that statue of Venus standing in a seashell covering her breasts and her privates. Except, Evie was real, and the statue of Venus had nothing on her. My eyes were glued to the perfection of what I could see.
Sun-kissed, golden skin with an allure of satin glistened against the sunshine. Lust burned in my brain, and I could think of nothing else but admiring her magnificent, perfect body. She was flawless. My eyes trailed up from her thin legs to her shapely thighs of smooth skin and up to what I could see of her voluptuous breasts. The curtain was covering all the good parts.
"Gage please. Get rid of them." She screamed trying to move into the wall.
I didn't know what she was talking about.
"Gage please come and get me." She begged.
I tensed. That was a bad idea. I most definitely shouldn't go any closer. In fact, I should leave.
"Evie –” something bounced around on the floor, or a few somethings. I could see them now. Lizards, at least three or four of them.
"Gage help me."
Oh no, this was just like that time with the frogs. Except this wasn't her back garden, and she wasn't nine years old. She was a beautiful thirty-three-year-old woman who I couldn't take my eyes off.
She'd asked for my help then too but I'd ran off and left her to cry for what I was told was hours. It was best for me to leave now too but I wouldn't be leaving for the same malicious, vindictive reason I left years ago.
She screamed again, bringing me back to the present. She was holding the curtain closer to her and stretched out her other hand towards me, her eyes pleading for me to help.
Unlike that time years ago I couldn't just run off and leave her, especially not after last night when I seemed to get so far with her. I moved closer and got right to the area before her where the pesky lizards danced. They were only about an inch or two tall but none the less terrifying for Evie.
"Gage get rid of them! They came in on me in the shower. I hate those things." Tears were actually streaming down her cheeks, and it made me feel bad for her. "Look, they're just awful, the beady eyes and scaly skin ahhhh." She screamed at the sight of another lizard skittering in from the bathroom. This one was bright green, a lot bigger, and made poor Evie shriek as if something was physically happening to her.
I looked into the bathroom and saw the immediate problem. She'd opened the window.
"Okay, calm down. Stay there."
